Despite desperately wanting to work over Christmas, Lucy had forced herself not to. And instead had spent it in bed, watching old Disney movies. A much better use of her time. She couldn't wait to get back to work. She practically ran into the department, desperate to escape the claustrophobic atmosphere of the flat. As she neared the hospital, she wondered, not for the first time, how Patrick's Christmas had been. Then she shook the thought out of her head. It was stupid feeling sorry for him; he'd probably forgotten about Rachel already.
On time for once, Lucy was able to hear Charlie's briefing for the day.
"Now, as I'm sure you're all aware, with Patrick absent, we're a doctor down, as well as missing nurses, so if we could all please pull together today," he asked. "And please try and avoid singing Christmas carols, I think we've all had it up to here with them!"
Patrick was absent? Maybe he had taken some leave then, though who knew how he'd swung that! He wasn't even married to Rachel.
She caught Dillon in a quiet moment. It was the first time she'd approached anyone with a question like this, she realised, and she hesitated before asking, "Is Patrick taking some leave, then?"
Dillon looked at her frowning. "No. Didn't you hear? He's been in ITU overnight with hyperthermia."
Lucy's eyes widened. "What?"
Dillon lowered his voice. "The likelihood is that Greg James was involved. Rachel's husband, remember? Anyway, Lara found Patrick half-drowned in a lake. He had a bloody lucky escape."
"Sounds like it." Lucy hesitated. She didn't know why she was so desperate to see Patrick, she didn't know why she kept on thinking about him. It was stupid. "Is he well enough for visitors?"
Dillon couldn't help smiling. "Why, are you volunteering?"
Lucy blushed and shook her head. "No of course not." She turned to go.
"Lucy," Dillon said softly. "Yeah, he is."
Patrick could hardly believe his eyes and he wondered if he was still ill and hallucinating. What the hell was Lucy Hart doing up on his ward with… flowers? He considered asking for a second opinion, but then stopped himself.
Lucy hesitated as she got to the foot of the bed. Then she thrust the flowers at him awkwardly. "Erm, these are for you. I'd have brought you chocolates but I didn't know what you liked…"
"Flowers. Lovely," Patrick said. He gestured to the vase by his bed. "Shove them in there. No one's brought me flowers yet."
Lucy nodded and then stepped back. "So how are you?" She felt stupid now she was here; what the hell was she doing? She'd never exchanged more than a few words with Patrick, and they'd been sharp angry ones. Why was she here on her break?
"I'll live," Patrick said nonchalantly. "Takes more than some nutter trying to drown me to finish me off."
Lucy nodded, more for something to do than in agreement. This was a mistake, a huge mistake. She shouldn't be here. She had to get out.
"Anyway, I just thought I'd bring you some flowers to liven the room up…" she said, biting her lip anxiously. "I really ought to go."
Patrick managed to rouse himself enough to ask, "How was your Christmas?" He wondered why he'd asked. He was never normally interested in other people's social lives.
Lucy drew on all her reserved energy and brought out the classic fake smile she'd perfected over the past few years. "Good, yeah. Can't complain. Well, not compared to you. Yours wasn't very good."
Patrick shrugged. "It was no worse than other years. I never like Christmas much anyway."
Lucy let her smile drop. She nodded in agreement. "That makes two of us then," she said quietly before leaving the ward.
"I suppose we should really go up and visit Patrick," Chloe said with a big sigh as the shift finished and they all congregated in the staff room. "Miserable git that he is, he didn't deserve that."
"I doubt he'd want you turning up with that attitude though." Tony laughed. "Wonder how he is though?"
"He's okay," Lucy said without thinking, and then instantly regretted. She'd never got involved in the gossip amongst the staff before, it just wasn't her. And she couldn't believe she'd let slip about her visiting Patrick. Everyone would think she was crazy.
"You what?" Chloe looked at her, a bemused smile on her face. "How do you know?"
Dillon was watching her too, and Lucy felt a blush creep over her face.
"Oh you know." She shrugged. "I heard Lara telling Charlie. He's fine." She swung her locker door shut and hurried out of the staff room, her face hot and flushed.
Chloe shook her head in amazement as Lucy left. "She's a weird one, that girl. Never says anything and then comes out with something like that! Do you think Patrick was," she raised her eyebrows suggestively, "with her too?"
"Anything's possible with Patrick Spiller," Nikki pointed out. "They'd make a good couple, as sulky and stroppy as each other. Now are we going down the pub or what?"
"I'll go ahead," Dillon said decisively, heading for the door. "I'll meet you there in a bit." He hurried out after Lucy.
She was walking across the car park, searching for her car.
"Hey," Dillon called.
Lucy jumped and then turned round. "Oh, it's you. You scared the life out of me."
"Sorry," Dillon apologised. He shoved his hands in his pockets awkwardly. "So… I take it you visited Patrick then?"
"What business is it of yours?" Lucy snapped back angrily.
"None!" Dillon held his hands up in mock surrender. "I was only asking."
Lucy hesitated. "Yeah, I did," she said in a softer voice. "Is there a problem with that?" she added defensively.
"No, none!" Dillon shook his head. "It's a bit, well, unusual. For you. Well, I mean that…" He pulled a face at his own awkwardness. "I just meant…"
"I know what you meant." Lucy nodded. "I know what you all think of me. But yeah, I went to see him. End of story And I'd prefer it if no one else knew."
Dillon could sense that he wasn't going to get any more out of her. He tried a different approach. "Okay. Look, do you fancy coming to the pub for a bit? A whole load of us are going for a few drinks and I'm sure…"
"I can't."
"Have you got other plans?" Dillon asked, not willing to let her off so easily. When Lucy had first started, she'd been continually asked out by almost everyone until they'd given up, put off by her constant curt refusals. But Dillon always thought it was worth one more try. "Can you not put them off for a bit? Just for one drink?"
Lucy felt a ridiculous anger building up inside of her. "I don't want to come, Dillon. I don't need to feel a part of a gang, okay? I just want to go home. Good night." She got into her car and started the engine, before pulling out of the car park at speed.
